The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1887-08-20
MISCELLANEOUS


A firm of Birmingham ic-dealers was lately
required to tune an organ to accord with piano
in Moseley. 1t was impracticable to bring the
instruments together, but happy plan at
length stumbled upon. A note of the piano was
struck in front Of telephone, and the sound was
accurately transmitted to the distant tuner that
he was soon able to accomplish his task, and the
organ sent in season for its intended use with
the piano in concert
Besides its usual temperature and rainfall OBJ
servations, the New England Meteorological Soci-
ETY. has on hand for this season two special nves-
tigations-the thunder. storms in New England,
and the sea-breeze on the Massachusetts, coast
The former inquiry is in its third year, the latter
is now undertaken for the first time.
An interesting series of experiments has been
made by DR.. ]. W. Fraser on the influence of our
common beverages on digestion. Among these
drinks he finds that water is usually the best.
Of infusions, tea or cocoa acts most favorably
when bread is eaten and coffee is the best for use
with meats or eggs. Eggs are the best animal
food with infused beverages, and should be soft
boiled when tea is the beverage, and hard boiled
with coffee on cocoa.
system of weather observation on a small
scale has been established in Brazil, records from
fifteen stations now being regularly communicated
10 the observatory OF hl0 Janelr0.
A source of serious errors in analyses has been
pointed out by French chemist, who finds that
flter-papers are often charged with chemicals
which may be washed into the solutions filtered.
The possibility of premature burial has been
considered so great by the Madrid authorities that
the municipal cemetery has been provided with an
electrical signaling apparatus which will notify
the officials Of the slightest movement in any cof-
fin in the receiving vaults.
rt;6
foods and drinks, such as amylic valerianate,
amylic butyrate, ethyic butyrate, propylic ether,
and flavor of the apple, the pear, the pineapple,
the strawberry and the raspberry. These sub.
stances have been tested by two French chemists,
who find them poisonous in considerable quaint
ties, but harmless in the usual small doses.
The London Geological Society reports that at
the close of 1886 it had in its collection total of
2,6O9 animals, of which III were mammals, ,429
birds, and 403 reptiles. Many of the animals
have been bred in the society's gardens.
Two astronomers of the Grand Ducal 0bserva-
tory, Carlsruhe, have made the remarkable obser-
walton that the disc of the planet Uranus appears
distinctly elliptical instead of perfectly circular
The abuse of alcohol, tobacco, opium and qui-
nine seriously affects the sight, but tea has not
been considered liable to have such influence
The greatest of Russian ea-merchants, M. Mol
chanof, has however, been seeking treatment in
Paris for weakness of vision induced by the pro-
longed practice of tea tasting.
A complete systematic botanical survey of India
is to be made. The country has been divided into
four great districts in each of which the work
has been placed in charge of botanist familiar
with the region. \